Dylan See tries to clear out Carter Bellisari, but is denied. Both the Eagles and Stallions played shutdown defense all night long with Watterson eventually prevailing 42-35. (Press Pros Feature Photos by Brian Bayless)
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Watterson put itself in position to capture a CCL title and a high Division III tournament seed with a win and season sweep of rival DeSales. Carter Bellisari led the way with 17 points.
Columbus, OH – Except for maybe longer shorts, shorter socks and more colorful shoes, a snapshot of Bishop Watterson’s boys basketball teams would look strikingly similar whether the year was 1994, 2012 or 2026. The Eagles’ venerable 33rd-year coach, Vince Lombardo, considers that a glowing compliment.
“All of our teams tend to share similar characteristics that our program is built on, and that’s being strong on the defensive end of the floor, being fundamentally sound and being physically tougher than our opponent,” Lombardo said.
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Due to a late start because of the football team capturing a second straight undefeated Division III state championship, the Eagles admittedly are not a finished product yet, but the hallmarks of the tradition-rich program were on full display in a pivotal Central Catholic League showdown against arch-rival St. Francis DeSales Friday night.
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Before a filled-to-the-gills home crowd, Watterson imposed its will from the opening tip and beat DeSales 42-35 to retain a share of the CCL lead. Providing there are no hiccups along the way, the Eagles (13-3, 3-1) will travel to once-beaten Bishop Hartley on Feb. 20 for all the marbles in the super-competitive four team league. The Stallions (11-5, 2-2) likely played themselves out of contention with the loss. St. Charles (12-5, 0-4) also is having a fine season.
As if the fierce rivalry and CCL bragging rights weren’t enough incentive, Hartley, Watterson and DeSales entered the game holding the Nos. 1, 2 and 3 spots for Division III district seeding purposes. They were second, 10th and 14th, respectively, in the MaxPreps statewide power ratings.
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“The game meant plenty to both teams, but for right now at least, the rivalry with DeSales takes top priority and we came through for a big win,” 6-foot-3 Watterson junior Carter Bellisari said.
Incidentally, the season sweep gave Watterson a 68-67 lead in the series dating to its inception in 1962. The schools are separated by just 3.1 miles on Cooke Road.
Chase Cromwell gets a wide-open look early in the first quarter, but the shots were not falling for either team in the opening minutes.
Bellisari, a second-team All-Ohio receiver in football, had a big night with 17 points and six rebounds to pace Watterson. His first cousin, first-team All-Ohio quarterback Drew Bellisari, chipped in seven points and a game-high 10 rebounds. Drew has signed to play Miami University next fall and Carter has committed there for 2027.
Watterson’s tough-as-nails and disciplined defense – allowing just 45.1 points per game – simply would not let DeSales score. The Stallions prefer to create an up-tempo style with full-court pressure and trapping. But a team that can’t shoot or score can’t generate that kind of tempo.
“We shot 34 percent overall and were just 2 of 17 on threes,” DeSales coach Pat Murphy said. “I was really disappointed in our offense tonight, but you have to give Watterson all the credit in the world for that. We want to play our way, but we couldn’t. For years, Vince’s teams have been very good at controlling the tempo and that was the case once again.”
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DeSales lopped a nine-point halftime deficit to 24-23 in the final two minutes of the third quarter but couldn’t ever seize the lead. With the Stallions frantically chasing and trapping, the Eagles sank 6 of 8 free throws in the final 1:05 to prevail.
Drew Bellisari goes up in traffic for two late in the second half.
Perhaps the key stat of the game was that Watterson outrebounded DeSales 29-13.
“We turned the ball over way more than we usually do (19), but otherwise we reached most of our objectives going into the game,” Lombardo said. “Our offense is still a gradual progress. We’ve still got things to smooth out and the late start probably has a lot to do with that.”
Lombardo now carries the torch as central Ohio’s godfather of coaches. Counting an eight-year span at now defunct Marion Catholic, Lombardo has a 537-425 record with 461 of those wins at Watterson. He has guided the Eagles to a state championship (2013), a state runner-up (2014) and nine district titles.
On the heels of a 17-8 (3-3 in the CCL) 2024-2025 campaign with a large senior graduation, Carter Bellisari, who leads the balanced Eagles at 13 points per game, said he felt that outside expectations weren’t particularly high.
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“We had a lot of question marks coming into the season, but a lot of players have really stepped up,” he said. “One of the things going in our favor is that we’ve played together forever.”
Grant Weakley looks for an open teammate after going to the deck battling for a loose ball.
Lombardo said the influx of football players adds an extra element to a team with 10 players 6-3 or taller. And while 6-7 Joe Zeyen suffered a season-ending injury, the return of Drew Bellisari – who sat out his junior season – was a big plus.
The Eagles’ three defeats have come by a total of 10 points.
“In addition to their physicality, the (seven) football guys bring a lot of belief and confidence to the team,” Lombardo said. “They played the state championship game on Friday and they all showed up to practice Monday, then played their first game a week later. As far as expectations … I don’t get caught up in that. I really like our group of guys. We’ve got some size and physicality and some length on the perimeter, and they really share the ball well.”
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Noah Holsinger added nine points for the Eagles.
Daevyn Amankwaah was the only DeSales player in double figures with 15 points.
Despite the disheartening defeat, the Stallions brought a strong resume to the table, boasting wins over Licking Heights (14-3), Tipp City Tippecanoe (14-2), Hartley (12-3), St. Charles (12-4), Upper Arlington (11-5) and Grove City (11-6).
“We still have plenty of goals left to achieve,” Murphy said. “We score 61 a game, so tonight was as much about our opponent as it was our lack of execution and inability to get high percentage shots.”
LeAndre Marshall-Neal picks the pocket of Carter Bellisari as Bellisari makes a move toward the basket.